1. Field of the Invention
The apparatus of the present invention relates to vertical balers. More particularly, the present invention relates to an improvement in a vertical baler which would include means for assuring that the baler injection components are rendered inoperable during the baling process.
2. General Background
It is common, in the art of baling, to provide a vertical type baler for scrap material wherein there is generally provided a rectangular compacting chamber defined between parallel spaced vertical walls mounted on a base and a rear wall which is formed by a series of parallel spaced channel members which define vertical slots between them. Access to the compacting chamber for depositing scraps of material therein is usually through the use of a slidably movable window, and access to the baled material is obtained through a hinged door on the bottom portion of the baling chamber. Therefore, upon closing of the lower door, and waste being deposited therein, an upper ram is moved downward under force through the baling chamber and compacts scrap material between itself and the floor until a particularly sized bale is achieved.
In order to remove the bale, there are provided usually at least two flexible bale ejecting members, cables or chains which are connected to the front portion of the floor of the baling chamber and are extended through the chamber to a member, exterior to the rear wall of the chamber, which cannot be placed in position while baling is taking place. However, once a bale has been formed, the rear member is then situated on lugs contained on the rear wall of the ram and, as the ram moves upward, the chain is extended substantially diagonally through the baling chamber and once the door is opened the bale is literally rolled out of the baling chamber through the diagonal extension of the ejecting chains.
Although this is a standard method of removing bales within the baling chamber, it does have significant shortcomings. One of the shortcomings is the fact that after the rear member has been attached to the ram, one must manually, in the present state of the art, remove the member from the ram, so that as the ram goes through the baling process the chains are not extended upward until such time as the bale has been formed. If the chain is not manually removed, what occurs at this point is that after the door and the window to the baler have been closed and the baling process takes place, as the ram moves upward, the chain is naturally extended diagonally through the baling chamber. This can occur for a certain amount of time after which if a certain quantity of scrap material has been placed in the chamber, the force of the chains against the scrap material will literally break the door open which could, of course in addition to damaging the baler itself, cause injury to any person who may be standing near the baler as this takes place.
Although no patents have been discovered which would cover the present invention for alleviating this problem, the following patents were cited as pertinent to the vertical baler art:
______________________________________ PATENT DATE NO PATENTED: TITLE: ______________________________________ 4,182,236 01/08/80 "Vertical Baler With Improved Material Hold-Down And Bale Ejecting Means" 4,232,599 11/11/80 "Waste Paper Compacter With Front Access Features" 4,363,267 12/14/86 "Vertical Baler With Improved Safety Gate And Door Latch System" 4,002,115 01/11/77 "Double Baling Press" 3,916,781 11/04/75 "Bale Ejection System" 3,851,577 12/03/74 "Vertical Baler" 3,677,175 07/18/72 "Bale Ejector" 3,195,447 07/20/65 "Portable Apparatus For Baling Trash" 2,590,649 03/25/52 "Bale Ejector" 2,136,147 11/08/38 "Locking Device" 1,856,531 05/03/32 "Latch For Baling Press Doors" 4,436,029 03/13/84 "Device For The Press Door Of A Baling Press" ______________________________________